1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a fiber reinforced resin composite having anti-ballistic properties and armor articles made therefrom.
2. Description of Related Art
Anti-ballistic armor articles comprising high tenacity polymeric yarns have been in use for some time. There is a continuing need to provide hard body armor articles with increased resistance to bullets and fragments while at the same time reducing the total weight of the anti-ballistic article.
Current composites used for ballistic helmets and other complex curved ballistic articles are based on the assembly of layers of high strength fabrics or non-woven packets of uni-directional fibers and resins. Composites and processes for fabrication of ballistic helmets and the like are detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,582,990, U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,056, U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,674, U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,638 U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,234, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,228,571. In each of these examples, the high strength fabric or non-woven packet is cut and darted to allow the fabric to take on the shape of the doubly curved article such as a helmet. These cuts and darts create a discontinuity in the protective article or cause wrinkling in the article if too few cuts and darts are used. The cuts, darts and wrinkles result in a decrease in the penetrative resistance in the article. The art describes proposed shapes, patterns, pre-forming processes, off-setting approaches and stitching of the seams, as some means to minimize these defects.
A significant need exists for a ballistic helmet, or other doubly curved article, with a minimum of cut and wrinkle flaws to allow a weight reduction and/or performance increase in the article.
The present invention provides for an anti-ballistic hard armor composite article of low areal weight and having acceptable ballistic resistance. The article can be produced without the need for folds or pleats in the fabric layers and with no or minimal cut or wrinkle flaws. The invention is particularly suitable for highly contoured articles such as a helmet, a knee protector, an arm protector and the like.